Fluorocarbon based fluids have found widespread use in industry in a number of applications, including as propellants, particularly, aerosol propellants. Such materials have also been used as refrigerants, blowing agents, heat transfer media, and gaseous dielectrics. Because of the suspected environmental problems associated with the use of some of these fluids, including the relatively high global warming potentials associated therewith, it is desirable to use fluids having low or even zero ozone depletion potential, such as hydrofluorocarbons (“HFCs”). Thus, the use of fluids that do not contain chlorofluorocarbons (“CFCs”) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (“HCFCs”) is desirable. Furthermore, some HFC fluids may have relatively high global warming potentials associated therewith, and it is desirable to use hydrofluorocarbon or other fluorinated fluids having global warming potentials as low as possible while maintaining the desired performance properties. The properties of stability and relatively low toxicity are desired in many applications. Additionally, low or non-flammability and the use of single component fluids or azeotrope-like mixtures, which do not substantially fractionate on boiling and evaporation, is desirable in certain applications.
The identification of new, environmentally-safe, non-fractionating mixtures is complicated due to the fact that azeotrope formation is not readily predictable.